


Adventures in Baking

by AciidHeart



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Baking Shenanigans, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, and chocolate chip cookies, background craig cahn/robert small, these dads love each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 15:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11649540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AciidHeart/pseuds/AciidHeart
Summary: Damien and Gabriel go on an adventure in navigating the world of baking without box instructions.





	Adventures in Baking

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my first official Dream Daddy fic! There may be a few more in the future, since I had so much fun writing this.

“Do you have the sugar?”

“Right here.”

“Perfect! Just toss it in the basket. We almost have everything.” Gabriel peers into the basket in his arm, taking stock of their current bounty. The ingredients look daunting; this time, there's no box with neatly typed and easy to follow directions. Damien had assured him that it’s fine, he’s baked a few things from scratch before, everything will turn out completely edible and the house _wouldn’t_ burn down. Gabriel finds that he’s still extremely nervous about the whole thing. Grilling? Word searches? Sudoku? _Those_ are his strong suits. He’s confident in his ability to grill a mean steak, but baking? No matter how many times he’d tried following recipes online from suburban mothers with too much time on their hands, everything had turned out burnt, smoking, and completely inedible. Of course he wouldn’t tell Damien about all of that. Speaking of Damien…

    “I think all we need are some chocolate chips, and we should be set!” Damien threads his fingers through Gabriel’s with a small smile.

    “This is going to be fun,” he says. Gabriel begins swinging their hands as they make their way to what is hopefully The Aisle That Contains Chocolate Chips. 

    “Only because I’m doing it with you,” Gabriel replies. “Baking has always eluded me. You know I once tried making homemade ice cream, but the lid of the mixing machine popped off and covered Amanda and I head to toe? I don’t even know _how_ that happened.” Damien chuckles, gently steering them into an aisle that held promises of chocolatey goodness.

    “That’s not baking.”

    “My point still stands. How about this, then: I attempted to make brownies from scratch for one of Amanda’s sleepovers, but the batter was so thick when I put it in the oven it didn’t even bake properly. I could have knocked someone out with that brick.” At this, Damien lets out a hearty laugh.

    “I can assure you that we won't be baking bricks,” he says. “If we go carefully and double check everything, we should be fine. Besides, how hard can it be?”

    “You’ve baked things from scratch before. Are cookies not on that list?” Gabriel asks nervously. Their hands stop swinging, and Damien makes a beeline for one of the aisle shelves. _Chocolate chips spotted._  Gabriel allows himself to be tugged toward the chips, shaking his head.  

“Here they are! We're all set!” Damien exclaims. He grabs a bag at random and tosses it into the basket, turning to Gabriel with a dazzling smile. He's practically glowing with excitement, and Gabriel stops for a moment to appreciate the warmth in his earthy eyes. Damien had forgone the colored contacts and makeup for the day, dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a button up shirt. It was like every time Gabriel thought he'd seen it all, Damien would come out from left field and take his breath away all over again. Damien leans forward and gives him a quick kiss.

“I'm sorry for not asking that time,” he says. “I couldn't help myself.” Gabriel grins.

“You can, uh… continue not being able to help yourself? And do that more, maybe?” he suggests. He sounds far more nervous than he would like, but Gabriel internally commends himself for getting the words out in the right order. Damien must have found the statement amusing, because he honest to God _giggles._  He covers his mouth with his free hand, cheeks warming slightly.

“Well, when you put it like _that…_ ” He leans forward again and gives Gabriel another kiss, brushing a thumb momentarily across his cheekbone. Damien is absolutely glowing when they part.

“Let's go, now! We have cookies to make!” Gabriel takes a moment to snap out of his Damien-induced space out. When he feels as though he can properly speak without forgetting half of all the words he knows, he squeezes Damien’s hand. 

“You got it. We have edible, Not Brick cookies to make!” Gabriel begins marching toward the checkout registers. “Onward, Cookie Crusaders!” Damien tries to hold in another giggle as they make their way to a nearly empty line.

“Slow down a bit! You'll take my hand out of its socket.” 

“You're the one with long legs. Gotta go fast!”

“Uh… what?”

“It's… nevermind.”

\--/--/--

Gabriel and Damien make their way to Damien’s house once they reach the cul-de-sac, cookie ingredients in tow. The sun is shining overhead, casting a pleasant warmth onto their backs. Gabriel spots Craig and Robert on Craig’s front lawn. He stops and does a double take.

“You know, if you're so pumped up to go cryptid hunting, why not get into proper Cryptid Hunting Shape? You gotta be quick, bro. On top of your game.” Gabriel watches as Craig miraculously works a set of pushups with Robert sitting on his back. Well, more like _lounging._  Gabriel is sure that even in his best shape he wouldn't be able to have a full grown adult on his back while he exercised. Craig is struggling only a small amount, but seems to be enjoying the challenge. Robert snorts, scrolling through something on his phone.

“You think that's all there is to hunting after the paranormal and supernatural? No, that doesn’t cover _any_ of it. Hunting Shape is an _art,_ Craig. The fact that you even suggested that is a _travesty_ upon mine ears. You can't just suck up a protein shake and be done with it. It requires _dedication._  Precision. Confidence.” He looks down at Craig with a deep frown, and Craig huffs out a laugh in between pushups.

“The only thing you've been dedicated to lately is eating frozen Hot Pockets before bed, Robert. You're not gonna get to the Dover Ghost if you're keeling over after a five minute jog,” he replies. Gabriel stifles a chuckle at the banter, and before Robert throws out an inevitably snarky reply, he finally seems to take notice of the pair watching them. He balances his phone on the back of Craig’s head and offers a small wave. Gabriel and Damien wave back with wide grins. 

“Hey, bro, don't push yourself too hard! A big lug like Robert could break your spine if you're not careful!” Gabriel calls out. Craig pauses to look up and smile at Gabriel, laughing as he notices Robert scrambling for his now Ground Bound phone.

“Don't worry about me, dude. If I can lug this guy, I can carry just about anyone,” he calls back. “Brian offered to help me with my Ultimate Training over a barbecue, so I’m all set!” Robert scowls, crossing his arms and glancing wistfully at his phone, now laying in the grass.

“Hey, fuck you, Amador! We're _training_!” he shouts. This causes Craig to laugh harder, and his arms finally buckle, bringing them both tumbling on top of each other. Gabriel and Damien watch in amusement as the two begin to wrestle in the grass, laughter and curses drifting out to the rest of the cul-de-sac. They see Joseph peek his head through his curtains with a puzzled frown. Gabriel turns to Damien with a smile.

“I think I bothered them enough. Ready to go make those cookies?” he asks. Damien squeezes his hand and gives him another kiss.

“Sorry, I had to do that again. But yes, I'm ready. Let's do this.” Gabriel glances back at Craig’s lawn to see that Briar and Hazel have come outside to investigate the commotion. Upon seeing their dad wrestling in the grass with Robert, they'd proceeded to jump into the fray and start an all-out turf war. Craig seems to be outnumbered three to one for this battle.

“Yeah, let's. I don't want to be around for the tears that will undoubtedly be shed upon that lawn.”

\--/--/-- 

    Once they make their way inside, Damien leads Gabriel to the kitchen and begins laying out their ingredients onto his counter. Gabriel trails behind a bit, glancing around at the ornate decorations and paintings adorning the walls. He still finds himself fascinated by Damien’s home and the great care that had been put into it. He makes his way into the kitchen to see Damien fumbling a bit with the baking utensils.

“There you are! I thought you'd gotten a little lost,” he says. Gabriel approaches the counter with a shrug.

“I managed alright. One of your paintings is haunted and tried sucking me into another dimension, but luckily I managed to escape,” he replies. Damien laughs.

“I'll have to get rid of the painting, then. You can't help me bake cookies from another dimension.” Gabriel grins as he picks up the piece of paper on the counter. He scans it and internally cringes. _Oh boy._ A real, bonafide recipe to make cookies from scratch. They're really doing this. Damien puts away the grocery bags and gestures to the ingredients and bowls laid out in front of them.

“Okay, we have everything here. Let's get started." Gabriel chuckles nervously, picking up a whisk and inspecting it. This is uncharted territory. Damien offers a reassuring smile.

“Relax, Gabriel. We're not defusing a bomb,” he says. “This will be a piece of cake.”

“If it was a piece of cake then we wouldn't be making cookies, but noted.” Damien rolls his eyes. 

“You know what I meant.” Damien leans over and plucks the recipe from Gabriel’s hands, giving him a quick kiss on the nose before he begins reading it.

“Okay, so I got this recipe from Joseph. He's got some serious baking experience, so I trust him,” Damien explains. He sets the paper down and pushes a large bowl and fork toward Gabriel. “Here. I think you'd be a little too nervous with the wet ingredients, so I officially designate you to be The One Who Mixes The Dry Ingredients,” he says. Gabriel takes the fork out of the bowl and brandishes it as if it were a sword.

“By the grace of my honor, I shall mix them to perfection,” he declares solemnly. Damien giggles, taking a moment to push his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

“That's the kind of dedication I like in a baking partner.” He smiles at Gabriel as he gathers the butter, vanilla, and eggs from their bounty. The fork slips a bit in Gabriel’s hand as he watches Damien start opening and measuring ingredients. His slim hands are sure and deft, taking care in making sure nothing spills onto the counter. Each move is confident and steady. Gabriel puts the fork down and simply watches for a moment, enamored by the man in front of him. The island counter is small enough for Gabriel to lean forward and steal a kiss after waiting for Damien to finish adding vanilla to the small bowl in front of him. His cheeks warm and he makes the Face That He Makes When He's Flustered, and it's quiet frankly the cutest damn thing he's ever seen.

“Are you trying to distract me?” he murmurs. Gabriel hums, fingers tapping on the marble counter.

“Of course not. Forgive me for being so taken by your good looks,” he replies.

“You flatter me, Gabriel. Do you have everything mixed?” With a sheepish grin, Gabriel attempts to hide the top of his completely empty mixing bowl. He grabs the sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda in one go of curving his arm around them like a hook. Damien rolls his eyes, adjusting the position and tightness of his hair tie after moving his bowl out of the way.

“Of course I do! The five minutes into the future me does, at least.” Gabriel quickly begins taking measurements for everything, double checking the recipe to make sure he has the correct amounts and then triple checking before he actually pours everything into the bowl. Against his best efforts, a smattering of flour finds its way across the front of his shirt, and Damien laughs. Gabriel finds himself momentarily distracted again. Man, did it feel great to be able to make Damien laugh this much. Once Gabriel finishes mixing all of the dry ingredients, Damien brings his bowl over and begins pouring out its contents into the larger one. He peers up into Gabriel’s face.

“Would you like to try your hand at mixing everything?” he asks. Gabriel immediately shakes his head, pushing the bowl away.

“I've already pushed my luck here. I'll let you do the honors,” he says. Damien shakes his head as he takes the bowl and a whisk that had been dejectedly residing in an isolated portion of the counter. Its time has come.

“Gladly. You have the honor of performing arguably the two most important steps, then; pouring the chocolate chips and portioning the batter.” Gabriel’s eyes widen, and he quickly moves to take the bowl back.

“Chocolate chips I can manage, but don't _ever_ trust me with batter. We'd have a gigantic burnt cookie pizza if you did,” he says. Damien laughs that wonderful laugh of his again as he relinquishes the whisk.

“I'll keep that in mind.” Gabriel begins mixing the batter as carefully as he can with the whisk. He would rather not end up with batter _and_ flour all over his shirt. Damien hands him the bag of chocolate chips once the batter is well mixed, and Gabriel pours a healthy amount into the bowl. Damien then takes over and scoops the batter onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper in evenly spaced chunks. He takes a step back and moves to stand next to Gabriel, resting a hand on his waist as they admire their handiwork. Gabriel leans into his side with a smile. 

“That wasn't so hard, now was it?” Damien asks.

“I was sweating buckets the whole time. I can't believe I made it out the other side in one piece,” he replies. Damien presses a kiss to Gabriel’s cheek and detaches himself from his side to put their creations into the oven.

“And now we wait!” he exclaims. He gestures to the kitchen table and strides towards it with a smile.

“Would you care to sit with me while we wait?” he asks. Gabriel glances at the tabletop and notices a small stack of what appears to be brightly colored books. Once they settle at the table next to each other and set a timer for the cookies, Gabriel picks one up and examines the cover. His eyes raise to Damien’s, noticing that his face is somewhat flushed and that he's avoiding making eye contact.

“Damien, are these… puzzle books?” he asks. Upon closer inspection, he sees that yes, they are indeed puzzle books. There are five total, a mix of word searches, sudoku, and word jumbles. The sudoku book at the top of the stack has a sticky note attached to it. Damien’s face seems to be getting redder by the second. Gabriel plucks the sticky note from the book.

_Gabriel,_

_I know you're quite fond of puzzle books and wished to surprise you with a small gift as a token of my affection. You can keep some of them here for when you visit, if you'd like._

_♡ D. Bloodmarch_

Gabriel bumps his shoulder into Damien’s and can't help the doofy grin that spreads across his face.

“You're an absolute delight, you know that?” he says. Damien’s face is absolutely burning at this point, but he turns and offers a bashful smile in return.

“So is it safe to assume that you enjoy the gift?” he asks. Gabriel cups Damien’s cheek in his hand and eagerly kisses him, smiling as Damien’s hands find their way to his waist and he reciprocates with the same amount of enthusiasm. When he pulls away, Damien’s smile is absolutely blinding.

“Of course. You've catered to everything I could ever want in a gift consisting of puzzle books. I'm set for at _least_ a few months now,” Gabriel exclaims. He grabs a word jumble book from the pile and clicks open the pen in his shirt pocket. He settles down with his side pressed against Damien’s as they relax at the kitchen table, with Damien enjoying a novel he'd left there. They sit in silence, merely enjoying each other’s company as they wait for the timer on their cookies to go off.  

“This is nice.” Damien looks up from his novel, ten minutes passing in silence until now. He tilts his head as he regards Gabriel.

“Really? I was worried that you would grow bored eventually,” he admits. Gabriel folds the corner of the page he's on and sets it down, smiling. 

“How do you expect that to happen while I'm with you? This is basically the dream, Damien. Getting to be boring with you,” he says. They give each other a quick kiss again, and just as they part the timer goes off. Gabriel grins.

“Ready to see if we've succeeded?” he asks. Damien can't help but laugh. 

“As ready as I'll ever be. What do we do if they're terrible?”

“I suppose we could use them as pucks. Start a neighborhood hockey team. ‘Maple Bay Cutters’ has a nice ring to it. Like cookie cutters?"

“You're absolutely right. That's a _brilliant_ name.”


End file.
